Waqanivavalagi SWFR, Chaudhuri K. A case of a retained chest drain.
J Surg Case Rep 2021;
2021:rjab049. [PMID:
33738090 PMCID:
PMC7955586 DOI:
10.1093/jscr/rjab049]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Retention of an intercostal drain segment is an uncommon and infrequently reported complication of underwater seal drain use. We report the case of a 66-year-old New Zealand European male who underwent bilateral lung transplantation for severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis. The patient required a return to the operating room for exploratory surgery after an intercostal drain severed during its attempted removal and became retained within the chest cavity. A deep suture had inadvertently been passed around the chest drain intraoperatively. In the event of such a complication, prompt recognition and removal of the retained segment is required. This novel case is reported to highlight the possibility of an entrapped suture as a cause of resistance when attempting to remove an intercostal drain. Kinking on a chest X-ray may also point to this problem, and senior input should be sought early if radiographic findings are coupled with clinical difficulties.
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